Benchmarking Quantum Computers
Quantum computers could one day solve problems that today's most powerful computers cannot, opening the door to breakthroughs in medicine, materials, agriculture, and more. But that future is not guaranteed. Around the world, companies are racing to build practical quantum computers, and each is taking a different path.
Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) researchers are helping to answer one of the most important questions in technology today: can it be done?
What it is
Quantum computers utilize the special properties of quantum mechanics to tackle computing tasks that are far beyond the capabilities of existing computers that operate using traditional technologies. These new machines use quantum bits, known as qubits, as their fundamental building blocks. Researchers are pursuing a range of technologies for creating and utilizing these qubits and no dominant architecture has emerged so far.
Why It Matters
Quantum computing represents a significant national investment, and sound, unbiased evaluation helps ensure that effort is directed toward the approaches most likely to succeed.
The payoff could be transformational. A single working quantum computer could change entire fields overnight. Diversified approaches to the technology may ultimately prove valuable; each showing its own strengths. By providing trusted, expert judgment, GTRI is helping the nation separate genuine promise from hype and move quantum computing closer to real-world impact.
This work also reflects what GTRI does best: bringing independent, interdisciplinary expertise to some of the most complex challenges facing the country.
Quantum Benchmarking Initiative
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) created the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) to rigorously test whether any quantum computing approach can become genuinely useful, meaning its value outweighs its cost, by 2033. More than a dozen companies, from large firms to small startups across four countries, are being evaluated.
GTRI serves on the initiative's independent test and evaluation team. A 40-person group of GTRI experts works alongside 13 other research organizations and more than 400 outside specialists to examine each company's plans and assess whether their technology can deliver on its promise.
Learn More
Read the full story about GTRI's role in the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.